Instead of wrapping presents and preparing Christmas dinner, two Victoria residents set out to break a personal record. 

Sporting plaid shirts and big smiles, brothers Glen (61) and Mike Rodger (57) marched into Canadian Blood Services in Saanich on Dec. 23 to donate blood for the 100th time.  

鈥淵ou never know who your blood is going to, but it's always going to somebody who could be your neighbour, your friend,鈥� said Mike.

Though the pair's donations have helped people across Canada, the brothers are motivated most by Glen鈥檚 wife Anne. 

鈥淢y wife has leukemia,鈥� said Glen, who added that he has been donating blood regularly for 40 years. 鈥淚t wasn't until she was in her 20s that it was diagnosed.鈥� 

Underscoring the brothers鈥� drive, however, lies a healthy rivalry. 

鈥淕len was always way ahead of me because I travelled and had not donated for a long time,鈥� said Mike, who started donating blood and platelets in 2018. 鈥淚 was donating whole blood and I had seen the option to do platelets instead and, with platelets, they take your blood out, remove the platelets and then put your blood back so you can do it more frequently.鈥� 

This gave the younger brother a chance to catch up with Glen.

"There's always some amount of competition between us," he said.

However, the pair stepped back from their contest on Monday, opting instead to mark their milestones together.

Patricia Willms, Canadian Blood Services鈥� community development manager, who greeted the brothers at the clinic鈥檚 front entrance, expressed the importance of generous donors like Glen and Mike.

鈥淚t's exciting for us to watch these people reach these milestones and to see their dedication,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's inspiring to the people around them. They've brought colleagues and friends and family in throughout the years by talking about it. They're the type of people that amplify the cause.鈥� 

According to a recent report from Canadian Blood Service, the organization logged 767,000 whole blood collections between 2022 and 2023. Still, Willms added that more donors are needed.

鈥淭he need for blood is continuous. We say that every 60 seconds someone in Canada needs blood,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need 450 new donors a day to continue to meet that patient demand.鈥� 

While the organization works to fill that gap, Glen and Mike are doing the best they can to help, and, inside the clinic, neither was fazed by the site of needles or blood as they rolled up their sleeves.

鈥淚 was an army medic for a short time, so I wasn't allowed to be afraid,鈥� said Glen, who began his Air Force career in the Reserves. 

鈥淚t doesn't bother me at all,鈥� added Mike. "I kind of think it's fascinating, so I like to watch even when they鈥檙e putting the needle in, but that usually freaks the nurse out more than it freaks me out.鈥� 

Both of them emphasized that anyone interested in donating blood doesn't need to be scared.

"You're always taken care of," said Mike. "You never have to worry coming in here. They are very careful." 

To donate blood to Canadian Blood Services, visit: .